The World of Codex
Overview Codex, a world of high sorcery and valiant warriors... Geography There are two primary landmasses on Codex, the continents of Nim and Immartu. Several smaller land masses, exist between and around these two, including the relatively new swamp island of Umah. Immartu To the west, the continent of Immartu is roughly broken into northern and southern segments by a miles-high break in the terrain. This barrier, formed by an earthquake eons ago, is almost impassable, and extends into the sea for several miles to the east, the currents around it making travel difficult. The northern half of Immartu is the jungle home of the shakaran and the brazza. Along the Anana River, the only areas of clearing in the jungle, the Empire of Silver, Ronat, boasts humans, dwarves, and elves living in rocky harmony and a thriving economy. The metal known as handar, a blue-steel immune to the rust of the jungle, is the basis of much of the economy, and further trade with the west through the Mustel Tunnels in exotic fruits and grains, and knowledge gathered by the Lugo'Belinos, prop up the Empire. To the south of the great cliffs, a scorching desert is sparsely populated and deadly. Various nomads live along the river that runs from the cliffs, or near the sea, and only small roving bands of people roam the desert itself. Under the sands are vast catacombs and entire lost buildings, guarded by ancient wards, traps, and by the floran, a race of sentient plants. What little commerce the desert-dwellers have is primarily in water and bronze. Nim The eastern continent of Nim is the ancient home of the dragons, elves, and humans. The northern stub of the continent is perpetually locked in ice, leading down to the great lake of Echo, named after the city that once stood there. A river flows east from the lake to the sea, through a fetid swamp known as Finale. South of Echo is a lush field, divided roughly by the the kingdoms of Monarch to the east and Heartstone to the west. Monarch is an open society, leaving its neighbor alone to confront the forces of Grimwatch nestled between the frozen wastes and the cliffs of Cordina. The cliffs descend into the broken terrain populated by humans before opening into the massive Treaty Woods, the home of elves and the newly-returned eldarin descendants of the original Undina. The elves stay introverted and are embroiled in internal rivalry, centered around the grand cities of Súrëmenel, the capital, and Norinar, the necropolis. South of the Treaty is the Unified Guild Protectorates, a coalition of small kingdoms driven by trade and greed. The fields west of the King's River are not governed at all, with only sparse settlements, such as Bal, attracting populations. The Yellow Mountains to the east house the bulk of the dwarven population, and the large Juras Woods grow from them. The Races of Codex Codex has a broad variety of races. Scholars typically classify them based on their "generations" of creation away from the gods. The first children of the gods were the dragons, forged by pure elemental energies. The dragons gave birth to three races themselves: the Undina, the Dwarves, and the Mustel. The three races separated: the Undina stayed on the eastern continent, the Mustel went over the seas to the west with a third of the dwarves, and the remaining dwarves tunneled deep under the Yellow Mountains. The Undina created several races: *The horan, who would eventually be given souls and became humans, *The elves, and *The goblin races, including several subspecies. The Mustel drew on the spirits of animals and both adapted their own race, and created several more: *The shakaran, a race of panther humanoids, and *The brazza, a race of monkey humanoids. History A more precise time-line of Codex can be found here. Warfare Throughout the history of Codex, war has been a constant reality. Although relatively minor skirmishes have always occurred, several battles have changed the course of history. The Millennium War Begun by the elves to encourage the mutual destruction of the Undina and the dragons, the Millennium War devastated the eastern continent and resulted in the creation of the Abjurewall. The first half of the war, when dragon and Undina fought against each other, created the great glacier to the northwest, and eradicated the forests to the south. The majority of the Undina fled Codex entirely, locking themselves in Kha-Dyn. Eventually, Tiamat's Seal locked away the remaining Undina, calling themselves the Dormalch. Horrified by the actions of his consort, Bahamut turned on Tiamat, and the dragon races fought each other. The elves fled the great destruction wrought by the two armies, either retreating deep into the remaining forests or sailing to the west. Codex began to absorb the bodies of the fallen dragons to heal its own wounds. Eventually, Tiamat slew Bahamut, causing the creation of the dragon god Cassius. The Child's War In the jungles to the west, after having beaten back the shakaran forces to the distant north, the dwarven king Shesh sets out to force all the cities of the jungle to ally under him. Justifying his actions with the prophecies of Adlartan, he conquers city after city leaving ruins behind him. The Lugo'Belinos sends the majority of their members south away from the fighting and forms a college near the Great Divide that separates the jungle from the harsh deserts. The remaining mages reluctantly fight with the dwarven king. Shesh's advancement eventually grinds to halt at the base of the waterfall that guards Alan-Tungorak. Shesh orders Leucetius, the head of the magical college, to destroy the city. When Leucetius refuses, Shesh shows the mage the children of the cities held hostage. Distraught and enraged, Leucetius unleashes a magical fury that destroys Shesh's army, bringing a final end to the war. The Folly War The Muse War Deities of Codex The divine realms have changed hands multiple times throughout the ages of Codex. Some deities have never been moved, some have been replaced, and some have been slain outright. Anake and Bazzel The original overdeities still maintain their original identities and purpose, although in Anake's case, she has absorbed a great deal of power in the aftermath of the Muse War. The Dragon Gods Although deceased for quite some time, Bahamut recently reclaimed his divine mantle from his pretender. The undead form of the Bahamut ascended to its own divinity in the continuing form of Cassius. The queen of evil dragons remains Tiamat, and her newest spawn Parttich rules many aspects of the pantheon. Now a Dormalch Titan, the ancient dragon paragon Luzazul is on par with Cassius and Parttich, and demands his place in their councils. The Elemental Lords The elemental lords of Fire, Water, Earth, and Air are currently Konoj, Lugala, Nauco, and Ahriman, respectively. Thought to be eternal, the four Lords of Elements have changed hands several times, most notably during the Millenium War, when several Dormalch Titans destroyed the original Lords and found that they could not simple use the power of the elements without endangering the very fabric of Codex. Of those four, only Konoj remains as an Elemental Lord. The Pantheon of Light Following the Muse War, interloper deities have conquered the good aspects of the divine realms. Lead by Calliope, the other members of the pantheon are Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania. They were ancient deities before they came to Codex, and maintain their wisdom and power as they lead heroes to greater heights. The Dormalch Titans From the original Undina ancestors of the fae creatures, the nine Dormalch are the embodiments of most of the evil and darkness in the world. When Calliope and her sisters eliminated many of Codex's evil deities, they inadvertently left a gap that the Dormalch quickly filled. Tsaroran, the Lord of All, leads the Dormalch, and Melidor controls the Abjurewall itself. Two members are much more recent, Luzazul the Shadow Dragon and Restrain the Master of Ice. The remainder Chetidan, Dariss, Inchinot, Koriche, and Mnenoyet, represent the world's villians. Category: